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Whenever I go car shopping here are a few things I do;
I always buy used even though I can get a brand new Honda Accord for $22,000 within 50 miles from my location of Milwaukee.
I search all used and certified cars within 250 miles, sometimes you have to drive to get a great deal.
Online research like crazy, I probably spend hours researching cars before I buy.
I always look for cars that are 3 years old and just above 50,000 miles, so you get the cars coming off of lease and have been maintained well and since they are over 50,000 miles that is another price drop.
Normally I don't haggle a lot, because I have done my research I know I have found the car that meets all my qualifications so I know there isn't a better option within 250 miles which for me isn't a long drive.
Financing well that's up to you, cash is king, then credit unions then dealer financing.
Having a good trade in is huge, also get your trade in car detailed before you trade it in, it adds to the value.
My buddy always walks away the first day, I am a former car salesmen so I tend not to do that but it works for my friend. He usually gets a call the next day with a lot lower price than what they originally offered.
To this day, I do not understand why anyone leases or rents a car for 3 years, stick to a 3 or 4 year loan, it's amazing on how many people just buy a new car because they are bored with their current car with a year left on their loan and now have to roll over that amount.
Know your actual credit score before you go in, and not from credit karma, they do a good job it's just not accurate or current. I had a credit score 50 pts higher than what credit karma said I had.
Ask to take the car over night or puppy dog it. Then say the price is too high then walk away, I promise you, you will get a call that night or the next day with a "final price". Again I don't do this but people who do say it works.
Don't expect too much off a car, car salesmen aren't making 5K a car anymore, it's more like $250-500.
I listen to a car radio talk program Sat. mornings Car Pros. Many people just like to buy new cars even though nothing is wrong with their late model car.
Lease vehicle’s are 24,000 or 36,000 miles not 50,000
My wife's Cadillac was this age and had 33K miles. In 2019, cars are just broken in at that mileage.
It was new enough that an extended warranty was still reasonable.
We got more warranty for less money than a CPO. Haven't used it 6 months in.
The wife had quite the extensive list of criteria for this car and I managed to find one that met them all.
She's happy, which means I'm happy.
I currenlty drive a 2009 Honda Accord with 221,000 miles on it, I bought it for $15,000 when it had 20,000 miles on it, true I could have spent an extra 5K for a brand new one but it that was past my cut off line. So far I have only had to put gas and oil in it and it has been a excellent runner for me. I am very pro-active when it comes to preventive maintaince and I typically get things fixed or replaced before I need to. For instance transmission fluid, coolant, belts, plugs, oil and wires I get changed or replaced before the reccomended service time intervals. Buy a Honda!
I once had a guy buy a new car from me because his car had "very high mileage" at 70,000 miles, I told him I'd happily sell him a car but if the only reason he was buying a car was because of the 70,000 miles on it, I told him he didn't have too. My boss wasn't too happy with me but I felt better about it than raking this poor guy over the coals.
I consistently see great deals on 10 year old cars that have 50,000 or less miles on it and I think, there is a great deal sitting right there but people today just don't want to driver a little older car. Saturns and older KIA's are great deals but nobody wants them. Some people just can't get past the badge on a KIA.
Having a good trade in is huge, also get your trade in car detailed before you trade it in, it adds to the value.
..... Thoughts and tip of your own?
My experience on "trade-ins" is to avoid it wherever possible! I don't like selling my own used cars, but, have found trade-ins to be an area where most dealers hide the true numbers and try to get something for nothing.
OTOH, I've (surprisingly) found that dealers will sometimes pay a better price for a late-model, low-mileage car (than you can truly get on a 'trade-in) ... even though you don't buy a car from them. It also seems like some dealers (Carvana) are specializing in this.
My experience on "trade-ins" is to avoid it wherever possible! I don't like selling my own used cars, but, have found trade-ins to be an area where most dealers hide the true numbers and try to get something for nothing.
OTOH, I've (surprisingly) found that dealers will sometimes pay a better price for a late-model, low-mileage car (than you can truly get on a 'trade-in) ... even though you don't buy a car from them. It also seems like some dealers (Carvana) are specializing in this.
Yes, you will most likley always get more for your trade on the private market or if the car is ok, just keep the car.
Whenever I go car shopping here are a few things I do;
I always buy used even though I can get a brand new Honda Accord for $22,000 within 50 miles from my location of Milwaukee.
I search all used and certified cars within 250 miles, sometimes you have to drive to get a great deal.
Online research like crazy, I probably spend hours researching cars before I buy.
I always look for cars that are 3 years old and just above 50,000 miles so you get the cars coming off of lease and have been maintained well and since they are over 50,000 miles that is another price drop.
Normally I don't haggle a lot, because I have done my research I know I have found the car that meets all my qualifications so I know there isn't a better option within 250 miles which for me isn't a long drive.
Financing well that's up to you, cash is king, then credit unions then dealer financing.
Having a good trade in is huge, also get your trade in car detailed before you trade it in, it adds to the value.
My buddy always walks away the first day, I am a former car salesmen so I tend not to do that but it works for my friend. He usually gets a call the next day with a lot lower price than what they originally offered.
To this day, I do not understand why anyone leases or rents a car for 3 years, stick to a 3 or 4 year loan, it's amazing on how many people just buy a new car because they are bored with their current car with a year left on their loan and now have to roll over that amount.
Know your actual credit score before you go in, and not from credit karma, they do a good job it's just not accurate or current. I had a credit score 50 pts higher than what credit karma said I had.
Ask to take the car over night or puppy dog it. Then say the price is too high then walk away, I promise you, you will get a call that night or the next day with a "final price". Again I don't do this but people who do say it works.
Don't expect too much off a car, car salesmen aren't making 5K a car anymore, it's more like $250-500.
Thoughts and tip of your own?
This statement is inaccurate. If your score was 50 pts higher, it’s because they pulled from a bureau (probably Experian) that had a different score. Credit Karma gets its scores 100% from a direct integration with Transunion and Experian. It is accurate and it is up to date.
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